Pile yoke for pile drivers



June 1 1926. 1,586,784 J. s. CREECH FILE YOKE FOR PILE DRIVERS 'Filed April 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1 J. s. CREECH FILE YQKE FOR PILE DRIVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 1925 l I I l I l l l I l l l l l .ll

1 k "'I amt J6. Ceec% Patented June l, 192% PATENT oFFicE.

JOHN s. cEEEcE, or ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON.

PILE YOiKlll FOR PILE DRIVERS.

Application filed April 16, 1925. Serial No. 23,624.

My invention relates to improvements in pile drivers of the type embodying a piledriving weight slidable along a. vertical guideway. Heretofore, it has been customary to yoke the piles in place by hand-applied and hand-released yokes, whose. ap plication and removal not only endanger the operator or operators but necessitate stopping of the'pile-driving operation. It is the object of my invention however to provide a new and improved type of pile yoke which will effectively hold a pile in place while it is being driven, the construction being such that the yoke may readily be applied or released without the necessity of the operator standing in the path of the pile-driving weight. Thus, he is not subject to injury and it is not necessary to momentarily stop the piledriver while the yoke is being released.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides inlthe novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings. 1 I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pile driver equipped with the improved yoke.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of portions of the yoke. V Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the yoke structure.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view as indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing a .plan view of theyoke. In the drawings above briefly described, B designates the base frame of a piledriver, G has reference to the vertical guideway for the pile-driving weight W, C has reference to the operating cable for the weight, and 0 refers to the pile handling cable. The improved yoke is mounted in any desired manner at the front end of the base B, in position to effectively yoke a pile P being driven.

The numerals 1 designate a pair of horizontally alined bearings bolted or otherwise secured to the front end of the base B, said bearings receiving a horizontal side bar 2 of'the yoke, in such a manner that this bar may slide longitudinally but cannotrotate. At its outer or front end, the bar 2 is provided with a keeper which is preferably in the form of an upstanding hook 3. The

rear or inner end of this bar is provided with a rigid laterally extending cross bar 4. A second side bar 5 is mounted in horizontally alined bearings 6 on the base B, said bar 5 being both slidable and rotatable in said bearings. The rear or inner end of this bar 5 has a swiveled connection? with the free end of the cross bar 4, so that the two bars must slide in unison, and at its outer or front end, the bar 5 is provided with a transverse yoke arm 8, the two bars 5 and 8 being either integral with each other or otherwise joined, which is also true of the bars 2 and 4. The free end of the yoke bar 8 is adapted to spring into or out of engagement with the keeper 3, when the bar 5 is turned in the proper direction, and for s0 turning this bar, I have shown its inner end provided with an arm 9 which preferably carries a weight 10. When the yoke bar 8 is in the horizontal position shown for instance in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the arm 9 stands upright, but when said arm is operated to rotate the bar 5, release the yoke bar 8 from the keeper 3, and position said yoke bar vertically as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, the arm 9 and weight 10 hang downwardly, thus retaining the bar 5 and yoke bar 8 in this position until the device is again set around a pile to be driven. Preferably, the base B' is provided with an appropriate guard 11 which is engaged by the arm 9 when the latter is swung downwardly. For sliding the side bars 2 and '5 inwardly or outwardly as required, I have shown a rock shaft 12 mounted in appropriate bearings 13 on the base B, and links 14 operated by saidshaft, said links being connected at 15 to the cross bar 4. Preferably,'one of these links is pivoted to an upstanding crank arm 16 on the rock shaft 12 and the other of said links is similarly connected with a said yoke bar has been moved into engagement with a pile, I provide dogs 18 co-operable with ratchet teeth 19 formed on the two side bars. In the present showing, the dogs 18 are pivoted on a pair of crank arms 20 extending from a second tranverse rock shaft 21 which is mounted in appropriate bearings 22 on the base B, said shaft having a foot lever 23 by means of which it may be rocked in a direction to release both of the dogs, even though the latter may at that time be under strain.

In operating the device, the side bar 5 is positioned so that the yoke bar 8 stands vertically as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3. The lever 17 is then operated to inwardly slide the arms 2 and so that they will be entirely out of the way while the pile P is being positioned in the guideway G. hen the pile is properly located, lever 17 is actuated to slide the side bars 2 and 5 outwardly. Then, the arm 9 is actuated to rotate the bar 5 and swing the yoke bar 9 downwardly into engagement with the keeper 3. This having been done, lever 17 is again moved to slide the bars 2 and 5 inwardly, thereby. bringing the yoke bar 8 into engagement with the pile to hold the latter in place. The dogs 18 and ratchet teeth 19 now hold the aforesaid bars 2 and 5 against outward sliding, while the pile is being driven, and whenever it is necessary to disconnect the yoke from the pile, the foot lever 23 is operated to release these dogs. Then, the arm 9 may be actuated to effect upward swinging of the yoke arm 8, and when this is done, the bars 2, 5 and 8 may be retracted by operation of the lever 17. This disengagement of the yoke from the pile, it will be observed, is effected without the necessity of the operator endangerin himself by nearing the path of the weight N. Moreover, it is not necessary to arrest the operation of this weight even momentarily, while the yoke is being released from the pile. Thus, a great saving in time may be effected.

As excellent results may he obtained from the general construction disclosed, such structure may well be followed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous modifications may be made.

I claim:

1. A pile yoke comprising a side bar, means for slidably mounting the same on a pile driver frame, a second side bar spaced from the first named bar, means for slidably and rotatably mounting the second bar on the pile driver frame, a transverse yoke bar rigid with the outer end of the second side bar and of a length to extend to the outer end of the first named side bar, means for detachably connecting said yoke bar and said first named side bar permitting the former to be swung to a vertical position for engagement with or disengagement from a pile, and means for holding said side bars when pulled inwardly to engage the yoke bar with a pile.

2. A pile yoke comprising a side bar, means for slidably mounting the same on a pile driver frame, a second side bar spaced from the first named bar, means for slidably and rotatably mounting the second bar on the pile driver frame, a transverse yoke bar rigid with the outer end of the second side bar and of a length to extend to the outer end of the first named side bar, means for detachably connecting said yoke bar and said first named side bar permitting the former to be swung to a vertical position for engagement with or disengagement from a pile, and means connected with said side bars for forcibly moving them inwardly to engage the yoke bar with a pile.

3. A structure as specified in claim 2; said side bars having ratchet teeth, dogs cooperable with said teeth to hold said side bars after inward sliding, and a transverse rock shaft carrying said dogs and operable to release the same.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1; together with means connected to the rotatable side bar for turning it to a position to vertically dispose the yoke arm and for holding it in this position until returned to normal.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1; together with means connected to the rotatable side bar for turning it to a position to vertically dispose the yoke arm and for holding it in this position until returned to normal, the last named means consisting of a weighted arm secured to and projecting from the rotatable side bar.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1; together with a rigid cross bar projecting laterally from the slidable side bar, and a swivel connection between said cross bar and the inner end of the rotatable side bar, insuring sliding of the two side bars in unison.

7. A structure as specified in claim I; together with a rigid cross bar projecting laterally from the slidable side bar, a swivel connection between said cross bar and the rotatable side bar, and means connected to said cross bar for projecting and retracting the two side bars.

8. A pile yoke comprising a pair of spaced parallel side bars, means for mounting one of said bars on a pile driver frame for sliding movement, means for mounting the other bar on the pile driver frame for both sliding and rotary movement, a keeper on the outer end of the first named bar, a lateral yoke bar rigid with the outer end of the rotatable bar, said yoke bar being engageable with and disengageable from said keeper by rota-- tion of said rotatable bar, and means for holding said side bars when the latter are moved inwardly to engage the yoke bar with pile.

9. A pile yoke comprising a pair of spaced parallel side bars, means for mounting one of said bars on a pile driver frame for sliding movement, means for mounting the other bar on a pile driver frame for both sliding and rotary movement, a hookried by the rotatable bar for efiecting rotalike keeper on the outer end of the first tion thereof at times, and means for holding named bar, a lateral yoke bar rigid with the said side bars when the latter are moved 1Q outer end of the rotatable bar, said yoke inwardly to engage the yoke bar with a pile.

5 bar being engageable with and disengage- In testimony whereof I have hereunto able from said hook-like keeper by rotation aflixed my signature.

' of said rotatable bar, a weighted arm car- JOHN S. OREECH. 

